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It’s been over 7 years since I last played a game of 40k, due to me moving from England to Japan. Whilst I attempted to continue with my hobby whilst I was out there, I wasn’t very successful. As a result, I’m two editions behind on where the game of Warhammer 40,000 is and I’m hoping some kind people can give me some advice in playing catch up. I've got a bunch of questions, all in bold and in green so they stand out.

When I last played, there were four main ways to play the game; core Warhammer 40k, Apocalypse, Cities of Death, and Planetstrike. I’m a huge fan of playing with these alternate ways so eventually I’d like to be able to play in all of these different ways.

I’ve been looking at the array of books that are available at the GW website and can kind of group them into the following groups. If anyone can help me out with anything I’ve gotten wrong, or anything that I’ve missed out because I don’t have the books, I’d greatly appreciate it.

Warhammer 40,000: Apocalypse seems to be the equivalent of the old Apocalypse book. Would I be correct in assuming that Apocalypse Warzone: Damnos and Apocalypse Warzone: Valedor are supplements for Apocalypse that add new information only for certain armies, unlike how Apocalypse: Reload added information for all armies? Are the two Warzone books worth picking up for someone who doesn’t play those armies?

I can’t seem to find any specific books that are the equivalent of either Cities of Death or Planetstrike. Codex: Stronghold Assault seems to have aspects of both, especially as it mentions “updated rules for buildings and fortifications.” Fortifications don’t seem to be in the core rulebook any more, unlike in 6th edition, so I assume that if I want to use my existing models like Aquila Defence Lines and Bastions I’m going to have to buy Stronghold Assault anyway?

Shield of Baal (Exterminatus and Leviathan), War Zone Damocles (Kauyon and Mont’Ka), Sanctus Reach (The Red Waaagh! and Hour of the Wolf), and Warzone Fenris: Curse of the Wulfen all seem to be campaign books that add additional rules for the armies involved. Again, how essential are these for players who don’t own the appropriate armies?

Escalation seems to be a new way of playing, but seems to be a way to add Apocalypse units to games of regular 40k. I’m going to have to pick up a copy anyway, since I want to complete the CAD in a Quarter section of the 2016 Hobby Progress Challenge and need to find out what Lords of War the Deathwatch have access to.

Likewise, Death from the Skies seems to add more to the core game. How essential is it? And would I be better off picking up the book in the store or one of the recent boxed releases with two flyer models inside?

Finally, I’ve got Altar of War and Angels of Death. Are the missions in Altar of War worth picking up? As a Deathwatch player, and someone with intentions to rebuild his Dark Angels and Raven Guard armies, is it worth picking Angels of Death up?

Thanks in advance to anyone who can offer me any kind of advice on this matter.

Logged

Regards,MT.

Quote from: Ravager Zero

Freaking mod-ninja.

Although, given that you're in Japan now, I suppose that's entirely legit.

Hi MT,I'll try to help.Apocalypse is kind of dead, so I'm not sure if anything has been updated yet.I'm pretty sure that Stronghold Assault is the most up to date book, but I don't use fortifications anymore, so I'm not 100% on that...As for the scenarios, they are optional, but do offer some neat pieces of fluff/wargear in some of them. Damocles is the one I bought because it's a nice bookend to the old Tau codex (or you can just buy the new one and the new Farsight book). Space wolf scenario you can just pickup the new Codex if you like. Fluff wasn't as interesting for me...

Death from the Skies and Alter of War aren't used by most people I've seen (too many rules/the powers are too OP), but you may want to ask around your particular venue.

Kill Team just came out and I'm pretty excited about it.

I'll try to put a writeup on it, but I hope others will get into it. Simpler rules, smaller armies=more fun?

My local gamers mostly just play regular 40k without any expansions, so I'm not sure about most of these questions. The only thing I am confident of is that Stronghold assault contains the most up-to-date rules for most fortifications like the bastion or Aegis Defence Line.

Also, I'm probably wrong, but I thought Death from the Skies was almost a separate game, designed to focus on purely aerial battles (GW's website mentions the addition of a "Dogfight Phase")?

Apocalypse is kind of dead, so I'm not sure if anything has been updated yet.

Yeah, I kinda figured that with Escalation allowing "formerly Apocalypse-only" units in regular 40k that the massive battles that Apocalypse championed probably weren't going to happen any more. Not least because the core rules allow "unbound" armies which, for all intents and purposes, were what 4th/5th Edition Apocalypse armies were. Not to mention that Formations, one of the best things about playing themed Apocalypse armies, are now part of the core 40k rules.

As for the scenarios, they are optional, but do offer some neat pieces of fluff/wargear in some of them. Damocles is the one I bought because it's a nice bookend to the old Tau codex (or you can just buy the new one and the new Farsight book). Space wolf scenario you can just pickup the new Codex if you like. Fluff wasn't as interesting for me...

Cool. I'm the kind of person who likes to hoard information (things like out-of-print scenarios for future use), so whilst these aren't on the top of my shopping list, I'll probably get around to buying them at some point.

Death from the Skies and Alter of War aren't used by most people I've seen (too many rules/the powers are too OP), but you may want to ask around your particular venue.

Altar of War, I'm told, is a bunch of older missions from 6th edition publications, so I probably don't need to get it (though, see my earlier comment about hoarding information). And thanks for telling me about DftS.

My local gamers mostly just play regular 40k without any expansions, so I'm not sure about most of these questions. The only thing I am confident of is that Stronghold assault contains the most up-to-date rules for most fortifications like the bastion or Aegis Defence Line.

Awesome. I need to paint up a Fortification for a painting challenge, so thanks for confirming that I'm going to have to buy this book.

Also, I'm probably wrong, but I thought Death from the Skies was almost a separate game, designed to focus on purely aerial battles (GW's website mentions the addition of a "Dogfight Phase")?

I'm unsure about that. The blurb on the GW website seems to imply that it adds rules to the core game, which includes said Dogfight phase (which, I think, first popped up in the old Crusade of Fire campaign book).

Thanks to both of you for the help

Logged

Regards,MT.

Quote from: Ravager Zero

Freaking mod-ninja.

Although, given that you're in Japan now, I suppose that's entirely legit.